


Housewarming

by kisstheloststars



Category: gakubaby, school babysitters - Fandom, 学園ベビーシッターズ | Gakuen Babysitters
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Awkward Kissing, Awkward Romance, Babysitting, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Confessions, Declarations Of Love, Dorks in Love, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Friendship/Love, High School, Humor, Idiots in Love, Kissing, Light Angst, Love, Love Confessions, M/M, Romance, Romantic Fluff, School, Teen Romance, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-27
Updated: 2019-11-27
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:35:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21577690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kisstheloststars/pseuds/kisstheloststars
Summary: It was another regular day at the Morinomiya daycare room.That is, until Kirin drags Hayato and Ryuuichi into playing house, causing quite the turn in the relationship dynamic between the two boys.
Relationships: Hayaryuu - Relationship, Kamitani Hayato & Kashima Ryuuichi, Kamitani Hayato/Kashima Ryuuichi
Comments: 7
Kudos: 621





	Housewarming

**Author's Note:**

> thIS WAS INITIALLY MEANT TO BE 12 PAGES, BUT BECAME LIKE 16+?? LOL, OOPS. BUT THEN AGAIN, HAYARYUU IS ONE OF MY OTPS.
> 
> Please enjoy it, dear readers!! <3

It was no secret to the students of Morinomiya Academy that Kashima Ryuuichi was an enigma of sorts. 

The brown-haired boy was just about the most selfless person one could ever meet, despite the relatively recent loss of his parents. He was usually smiling for one reason or another - often because of his baby brother, Kotarou - and was always willing to help out a friend in need.

Plus, Ryuuichi wasn't really one to ask for much, remaining humble and grateful at least 99% of the time. The first year high-schooler had unconditionally kind eyes, too - big, brown, and doe-like, with a wistful gleam about them that attracted the odd upperclassman or two. 

Ryuuichi’s politeness was unprecedented, his paternal nature and unconditional love towards his younger brother was one of a kind, and his status as the school's (almost) full-time babysitter gave him bonus points, since it was a job that most couldn’t juggle alongside their schoolwork.

It was safe to say that he was well-liked, and looked up to by both guys and girls alike, teachers and students alike, and toddlers and adults alike. No one dared to bad-mouth Ryuuichi for his demeanour, either.

He was almost as trustworthy as Saikawa in Chairwoman Obaa-san's eyes, which said something that Ryuuichi would treasure forever.

* * *

It was the end of a school day, just like any other. Most of the students at Morinomiya bid their farewells to each other, just as they had done so with the teachers, who stood by the school’s front gates. One could see that the teachers kept a sharp eye on the students, their behaviour, and their safety, advising them to be careful on the way home.

A few of the teenagers travelled in groups, wanting to go out for food, karaoke, and gaming, whilst others headed in a different direction, clearly exhausted by the load of schoolwork that they had been given.

And, of course, a majority of students stayed behind on school grounds, due to their after school clubs.

Ryuuichi included.

Whilst kneeling on the floor within the Morinomiya daycare room, the brown-haired boy couldn't help but distractedly blink in surprise, and part his lips. 

" _Huh...?_ Usaida-san...doesn't this belong to Kirin-chan's father?" He asked in confusion.

The babysitter was taken aback to have registered a black camera resting on the surface of one of the many low shelves. 

As the shelves were used by the toddlers of the daycare room, putting most of their things in them upon arrival, Ryuuichi was used to seeing the usual - their backpacks, their favourite toys, their favourite books, their lunch boxes, and so on. 

_But the camera resting by Kirin's backpack stuck out like a sore thumb._

Ryuuichi squinted his eyes momentarily, assessing the situation.

It most certainly did _not_ belong there.

Reaching out carefully with both hands and pulling it out, Ryuuichi couldn't help but lean back and stare down at it in inspection. The camera was placed snugly in his lap, and he couldn’t help but notice the fact that it looked expensive, due to its intricate and reflective lens, large in size. There were a bunch of confusing buttons scattered around on the body of it, too. 

Well, Kirin's father _was_ a professional photographer, after all, so it made sense to have something of such high quality. 

_'But to leave it in the daycare room, of all places...'_ Ryuuichi thought to himself, squinting his eyes once again.

It didn’t make sense, and it was an _extremely_ dangerous choice.

The kids could have intelligently plotted to reach it and mess around with it, dropping or breaking it in the process. Or, they could have accidentally knocked it over, breaking it beyond repair. 

Just the thought alone made Ryuuichi shiver in fear, thankful that he had noticed it before anything of the sort could happen. He couldn’t let Usaida-san or himself be liable for the damages, since the toddlers were, well…toddlers. If they were given money, they would probably try to eat it. The thought made Ryuuichi laugh privately to himself, despite his initial fear.

"Hm? Ah, yeah. Kumatsuka-san wants me to take a few shots of Kirin playing today, since he's busy with some random photo-shoot." Usaida responded with a fatigued yawn.

Ryuuichi tore his eyes away from the camera to listen to Usaida's explanation with parted lips. He could see that the pink-haired guy had that usually lazy smile on his face, whilst his eyes were half-lidded.

Furthermore, Usaida was laying on his side, whilst Midori crawled around on the floor next to him, babbling enthusiastically.

"Ah, I see..." Ryuuichi replied, nodding his head.

At least Usaida was aware of the camera in the room.

He must have emphasised the importance of its worth to the kids, just before Ryuuichi came in.

Or he must have scared them away from it, threatening that, if they touched it, a monster would come after them, and get them in their sleep.

Then, they must have cried for a while, as Usaida didn’t realise the seriousness of saying such a thing, and how fragile a toddler’s bravery is.

_Yeah, that scenario seemed more likely._

"Of course, I'm gonna charge him for the shots!" Usaida added on with an a-okay gesture, and a mischievous wink in the brown-haired boy's direction.

Ryuuichi let out a nervous laugh in response, looking back at the adult.

" _I question your morality sometimes, Usaida-san..._ " He replied.

Speaking of which, it was hard to believe that Usaida was an adult, in the first place. 

"Well, everything in this world is give and take, you know?" Usaida replied, sitting up and holding a hand out in offer to take the camera from Ryuuichi. 

"For a moment there, you sounded like Obaa-san." The brown-haired babysitter informed with a small smile, passing the expensive object on to the taller. 

" ** _Shaggy...Baa-cha! Nii-cha, camwa!_** " 

Ryuuichi quickly looked down and to his left. As if on queue, he saw Kotarou staring up at him with sparkling eyes, lips parted slightly – it was evident that the toddler was full of curiosity, despite how aloof he came across at times. His small, soft hands, which were both placed on Ryuuichi's thigh, were his way of saying that he wanted to play with the camera, too.

Ryuuichi couldn’t help but smile, and began stroking his younger brother's hair for a few moments. 

“Sorry, Kotarou, but this isn’t ours to play with – we can ask Kumatsuka-san next time, okay?” He asked sensitively.

Kotarou paused in response – although looking dejected for a split second, he then nodded his head twice, before presenting a small picture book for his older brother to see.

“Nii-cha! Book! Kota read!” He exclaimed, giggling excitedly.

Ryuuichi felt his heart squeeze – it was the most adorable thing he had ever seen, and he could only wish that his parents were here with them to see Kotarou’s cutest moments and growth, too.

_But they weren’t._

On the other hand, being tasked with caring for five chaotic toddlers at once and a baby during his free time was no easy job. They were a force to be reckoned with, and no one could underestimate their intelligence levels. 

On occasion, however, there were varying numbers of them - Ryuuichi had Usaida-san to help him out with Midori-chan most of the time, so that wasn't as big of a task for him. Plus, including the help from his other friends at school, Ryuuichi knew that he was indebted to them.

The brown-haired boy strongly believed that he had to earn his keep, thanks to Obaa-san and Saikawa-san's hospitality. 

For both his and Kotarou's sake, and their parents’. 

“Huh…? _Ryuu-chan…?_ ” Usaida asked.

After being snapped out of his thoughts by the taller, Ryuuichi quickly looked back at Kotarou. The worry was all too apparent on the younger's face. Ryuuichi looked between the two with a nervous laugh, assuring them extensively that he was okay.

In the background, he could hear the constant noise of slurred baby chatter. It was boisterous and loud, and a few of the toddlers ran around the room excitedly, knocking over books, crayons, and paper in the process. Specifically Takuma-kun and Taka-kun, Ryuuichi noticed. 

" ** _Ah!_** Ish not gud to wun indorsh!" Kirin warned the two of them, hugging her treasured plushy giraffe, “Mai dwawing ish wuined becash of yew!” She added on, gesturing to a scribble of what seemed like the group of toddlers as a coven of witches, Ryuuichi guessed.

" _Kiwin-chan ish right..._ " Kazuma sniffled, sitting on the floor next to Kotarou. 

“ _ **Bleeeh!**_ Yew two are bawing!” Taka called out aggressively, breathing heavily in an attempt to catch his breath. 

“ _Ar not!_ ” Kirin responded, equally as aggressive.

“ _Ar tew!_ ”

“ _Ar not, ar not, **ar not!**_ ”

“Haha! _Der fiting, der fiting!_ ” Takuma beamed with a giggle.

“Ah, wait, let’s calm down, Taka-kun, Kirin-chan!” Ryuuichi urged with a nervous laugh.

"Hmph! Taka-chan ish sho childish!” Kirin stated, flipping her hair as she turned around - Ryuuichi could only wonder where she had learned that, as she approached Kazuma and Kotarou, “Shall we pway howsh?" She asked.

"Ung!" Kotarou replied, nodding his head repeatedly.

"Yew're pwayin' howsh? _Thash lame!_ " Taka stated boldly, "Kotarou, pway Ranger Five wish me!" He ordered. 

The young boy looked between Kirin and Taka confusedly, clearly not knowing what to do next.

"No, Kotarou-chan wansh tew pway howsh!" Kirin snapped, squinting her eyes at Taka.

“No he doeshn’t!” Taka yelled.

Ryuuichi could see that Usaida was now laughing at how amusing and entertaining toddlers could be, beginning to snap a few photos at a time using the camera. 

As the bickering between Taka and Kirin continued on and on, the brown-haired high school student let out a sigh, before forcing himself to smile, and shuffling closer towards Taka. 

“Yes, okay, let’s do this, then, Taka-kun!” He beamed in proposition, “We play house all day today, then tomorrow, we can play Ranger Five all day! How does that sound?” He asked hopefully.

Taka blinked a few times at Ryuuichi, now silent. The boy could only hope that Taka wouldn’t start crying, since it was difficult to calm him down once he did.

To Ryuuichi’s surprise, Taka didn’t cry, or kick up a fuss - instead, the toddler pouted, before folding his small arms, and nodding his head twice. 

Kirin beamed in response, before excitedly gathering the group of toddlers up in the middle of the room.

"Lasht time me and Kotarou-chan pwayed da Papa and Mama, sho now ish Ryuu nii-chama's tuwrn!" She stated, pointing at the brown-haired boy.

Needless to say, Ryuuichi found himself in utter shock, as his eyes grew bug eyed.

“ _Eh?!_ W-Wait, Kirin-chan, I didn’t---“

"What about me?" Usaida asked with half-lidded eyes, pointing to himself with raised eyebrows, and an open-mouthed smile, "Personally, I'm hoping to play the Papa."

The group of toddlers stood there in thought, holding their chins. Taka stared at the older man intently, before pointing up at his face.

"Ushada's da uglee auntee!" He yelled out in finality.

"Haha, thanks." Usaida replied. Midori had begun babbling enthusiastically at the news. 

"No, heesh da NEET!" Kirin stated, far too seriously. Her hands were placed on her hips, and Ryuuichi noticed a small, stern frown on her face. 

_'She really does remind me of Inomata-san, at times...'_

Before Ryuuichi could continue on gently rejecting his role as the parent, the brown-haired boy then heard the sliding door open with a thump, prompting him to turn around curiously.

" ** _...'Sup._** "

The short, deadpan greeting signalled the entrance of Kamitani Hayato – Taka’s older brother, a fellow student at Morinomiya, and a member of the school’s baseball team.

"Ah, Kamitani!" Ryuuichi addressed in surprise, proceeding to stand up and walk over to the taller, "What happened to your baseball practice? I thought you would come later?" He asked with a small smile.

Ryuuichi found that having Hayato around made things easier, despite his... _violent_ nature. After all, he was an extra pair of welcome hands to help take care of the kids. That, and he was a good guy at heart - he was an extremely good friend. 

_Ryuuichi found that Hayato was his closest, in fact._

"We ended early." The black-haired boy replied shortly.

“Oh, right…” Ryuuichi said with a nod, before trailing off.

Even _if_ he was a bit difficult to communicate with, at times.

It took a few seconds to spot, but Ryuuichi lit up after seeing Hayato’s apron, promptly grabbing it and handing it to the taller. 

"Here. The kids missed you, you know.” Ryuuichi informed, unable to stop himself from smiling. 

“Thanks...” Hayato replied with a sigh of fatigue, setting to wearing the piece of clothing over his baseball uniform. He then took his cap off and chucked it to the side, doing the same with his bag.

“Huh? Was practise more tiring than usual, or something?” Ryuuichi asked, blinking curiously.

“It was so-so. We still suck, though.” Hayato mumbled, promptly shaking his head from side to side. As he did so, Ryuuichi could see beads of sweat leaping out of his head.

With a pause, Hayato then furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, tilting his head slightly.

"Anyway, that aside..." He trailed off with a pause once again, trying to find the words, " ** _What're you guys doing?_** " He asked, looking down at the gathered toddlers.

They had set to creating a makeshift kitchen, which resulted in a circular pile of plastic toy vegetables, fruits, and desserts. To be honest, Ryuuichi thought it looked like a summoning circle of sorts, making him laugh privately once again.

"Wir pwayin' howsh!" Taka practically yelled, running up to the taller, "Buh yew cawn't pway wish ush!" He added on, pointing. 

"Hah? Who said I wanted to?" Hayato asked in reply, clearly unamused as he stared down at his younger brother with cold eyes, "Idiot." 

In response, Taka stared at him silently for a few moments, lips parted.

That is, until the younger boy teared up all at once, and burst out crying noisily, as well as messily.

" ** _Waaaah! I don' wanna pway wish yew either! Nii-chan, yew idiot!_** " He wailed.

" _Shut up, Taka, you're too loud._ " Hayato muttered with a kiss of his teeth, punching the smaller over the head. 

Of course, this stunned Taka for a moment, as he halted his crying. But, by now, Ryuuichi knew better than to assume Taka would calm down and stop his crying – especially when it came to his older brother - this had all become routine, after all. 

Next, Taka's wails would increase by tenfold.

It was no surprise once they did, and Ryuuichi knew that this was his signal to give a panicked smile, take Taka into his arms, stroke his hair, and soothe him hurriedly.

"There, there, Taka-kun! _Don't cry, don't cry!_ It doesn't hurt, right? It doesn't hurt! So please stop crying!" He soothed, before turning his head in Hayato's direction, "Kamitani! _Please_ stop hitting him!"

"Words aren't enough for the idiot." Hayato replied in reminder, holding his fist up with a scowl.

" _Rule by fear._ " Usaida stated with raised eyebrows, clearly amused. 

"I din' dew nothin' wong!" Taka wailed, "Ish Nii-chan's fawlt!"

* * *

It was finally time to progress the game of house, by assigning the official roles.

Thankfully, Taka had settled down his crying relatively quickly, after Ryuuichi presented him with his treasured toy sword, and forced Hayato to apologise – even if it was a mere, almost inaudible mumble.

Usaida couldn’t help but joke that Ryuuichi might have a magical gift for getting along with kids, which, of course, made Kirin’s eyes sparkle. She began asking Ryuuichi if he was a witch, just like the Chairwoman, too. Ryuuichi had no choice but to reply with a _‘maybe’_ after covering Hayato’s mouth, who had almost spoken the truth, and crushed Kirin’s dreams.

"Shtupid Nii-chan cwan be da Papa!" Taka proclaimed, stood there with a determined, open-mouthed smile.

As usual, he held his tiny, treasured toy sword high up in the air, whenever he wanted to be noticed, and make a proclamation.

" _ **Hah?**_ " Hayato asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Den Ryuu nii-chama cwan be da Mama!" Kirin beamed.

"But Ryuu ishn't a giwrl! Sho he cwan't be da Mama!" Taka replied aggressively.

" _He cwan tew!_ " Kirin retorted, "If Ryuu nii-chama jusht wearsh da wig Mama-san gave him, hill turn intew a giwrl!" She reasoned, holding a finger up.

“Uh, Kirin-chan, I’d rather not…” Ryuuichi stated quietly, unable to help his nervous laughs. The Kumatsuka family was a lively bunch, that was for sure. They had a certain dramatic flair to them. 

“ _Eh!?_ " Kirin asked in shock, eyes growing watery, and voice beginning to waver, " _But---but Ryuu nii-chama, if yew're not da giwrl, den yew cwan’t---_ “

“Why not just have two dads?” Hayato interrupted casually, crouching down to reason with Kirin.

"Oh, nice idea!" Usaida commented, clicking his fingers, and transitioning them into finger guns.

Hayato ignored him - he continued to stare at Kirin, who had now grown silent, as her lips parted. The young girl then looked up at Ryuuichi with sparkling eyes and a bright smile, nodding her head repeatedly.

"If that Inui guy saw you in a wig again, it'd be a problem for you, right?" Hayato asked blankly, turning his head in Ryuuichi's direction for confirmation. 

"R-right..." Ryuuichi replied with a weak laugh. So there really was no getting out of this, huh?

"… _’This is my woman! You better give up!’_ …" Usaida acted out dramatically.

"Wait--- _Usaida-san!_ _Please_ don't bring up such embarrassing things!" Ryuuichi whined, feeling his face heat up as he stole a glance in Hayato's direction, "Senpai is actually a decent person! He knows it was all a misunderstanding, and that I'm not a cross dresser." 

" _He's an idiot, is what he is._ " Hayato stated, seeming indifferent regarding the matter.

"Kamitani---"

"She-pa, idiot?" Kotarou asked his older brother, cocking his head to the side.

“N-no, you shouldn’t say that, Kotarou! Especially in front of Senpai!”

"Yesh, okay! Will be da kidsh!" Takuma beamed, raising a hand in the air.

“Yeah…” Kazuma replied whilst gripping his brother’s other hand tight, eyes watery and reflective.

"You _are_ kids." Hayato stated.

" ** _Yew're da kid! Bleh!_** " Taka retorted, sticking his tongue out. 

Ryuuichi could see that Hayato's squinted eyes and furrowed eyebrows illustrated the fact that the toddlers were beginning to test his patience, and get on his nerves.

Of course, Ryuuichi could practically sense Hayato's irritation, seeing that he was struggling in understanding their logic. The thing he failed to understand, however, was that toddlers often lacked logic. Maybe Kirin excluded. She was relatively mature for her age.

The brown-haired boy could only let out a nervous laugh as he softly patted both Hayato's and Taka's backs in reassurance - a bit more apprehensive about touching Hayato, however.

"W-well, let's not get so worked up over nothing!" He beamed in an attempt to lighten the mood, " _Right,_ Kamitani?" He asked, in hopes of calming the black-haired guy down.

"Ah! No gwud!" Kirin called out all of a sudden, causing Ryuuichi to jump in shock.

" _W-what is it, Kirin-chan?!_ " Ryuuichi inquired worriedly, upon seeing the girl pointing at him.

_Was she hurt somewhere? Did Hayato have a bug on his back, or something?! **Did Ryuuichi accidentally crush it with his palm!?**_

"Ryuu nii-chama, yew musht cwall yewr hushband by hish fiwst name!” She ordered.

“That’s right, that’s right!” Takuma urged with a laugh.

"Or y'could use _lovey dovey_ terms like _'Dear'_ and _'Honey'_." Usaida added on with a lazy smirk, clearly teasing the two boys.

"Idiot." Hayato stated, punching the pink-haired guy over the head. 

" _U-Usaida-san!_ Please don't encourage this!" Ryuuichi pleaded.

Before the babysitter knew it, there was now an awkward silence passing between himself and Hayato for a few moments. 

"Kashima, that idiot’s suggestion aside…I don't particularly care if you call me by my first name, y’know." Hayato stated monotonously, shrugging. 

Ryuuichi paused, blinking and parting his lips at what the taller had just said.

"Ah---uh…Right…I mean…but _I care!_ " Ryuuichi replied with a nervous laugh, scratching the back of his head, “It’s a bit...”

The brown-haired boy couldn’t help but trail off with his words, causing Hayato’s confusion to increase.

"What's with you? It's just a first name." Hayato replied, " ** _Ryuuichi._** "

Kirin and Usaida instantly let out a gasp of awe at what Hayato had just said, and Ryuuichi could feel his face heat up all at once, eyes wide – with his shoulders tensing up, he felt his words begin to stutter out.

"As expected of Hayato!" Usaida whistled, " _You're a gutsy one!_ " 

Hayato merely cocked an eyebrow, before locking eyes with Ryuuichi.

“ _What?_ ” He asked monotonously.

“No, it—it’s nothing!” Ryuuichi forced out.

“Come on, Ryuu nii-chama!” Kirin encouraged excitedly, “Fiwst name!”

Ryuuichi couldn’t escape his fate any longer. With a nervous laugh, the boy dropped his shoulders, looking down at the floor – for some reason, he found himself unable to look Hayato in the eyes as he spoke.

"T--then... ** _Hayato...-kun_** …” He mumbled.

" _Don't add honorifics._ " Usaida commented, clearly enjoying this opportunity to tease Ryuuichi.

"B-but there's just no way I can call him by his first name alone!"

" _Ryuuichi._ Just do it." Hayato urged blankly. 

At the sudden direct address once again, Ryuuichi raised his head with wide eyes. He could feel a shiver going down his spine, as he looked directly at Hayato. The brown-haired boy knew that his face must have been as red as a tomato by now.

After a few seconds, Ryuuichi’s eyes flickered at what he had just spotted.

_Wait, was he **smirking?** Deadpan, mostly inexpressive Kamitani was **smirking?!**_

No, Ryuuichi must have been imagining things. 

"Hayato-chan is waiting, Ryuu-chan." Usaida coaxed.

Ryuuichi could now feel the warmth from his cheeks travel up to his ears.

He could feel that they were burning up, and Ryuuichi knew that pretending to be married - especially to Hayato, of all people - was something that he would never get used to.

Even if it was all just a game that the toddlers wanted to play.

“C’mon.” Hayato urged the shorter with a yawn, “I’m tired.”

Ryuuichi flinched, before looking away once again.

"Kamita----… ** _Haya...to._** "

" _Good enough!_ " Usaida proclaimed with a clap of his hands, "Now, let's take a picture of the lovey dovey couple!"

"We can't, Usaida-san! That's Kumatsuka-san's---" 

“I agwee!” Kirin interrupted with a beam, “Hayato nii-chama, Ryuu nii-chama, shtand togever!”

“Listen to the daughter of the camera’s owner, Ryuu-chan.” Usaida stated with a smirk.

For some reason, Ryuuichi found himself unable to argue back, after that – plus, Hayato hadn’t even bothered to, in the first place.

“ _Yes, now say ‘cheese’!_ ”

* * *

"I'm sure Inomata-san or Ushimaru-san wouldn't have minded playing the wife---I mean…the Mama...for me to play this game is kind of..."

Before Ryuuichi knew it, he had trailed off with a nervous smile.

A while more had passed, and as the two high-schoolers sat side by side, they couldn’t help but look over at the toddlers playing house excitedly. Even Taka had gotten the hang of it, and ended up getting into the role more than Kirin had. Meanwhile, Usaida found himself drifting in and out of sleep, letting out a few snores here and there. Of course, Midori used this opening to get up to her own innocent mischief.

Hayato then looked over at the brown-haired boy with raised eyebrows.

"What, you don't wanna be my…husband, I guess?" He asked, far too blankly and seriously for the question to be taken as a joke. 

Ryuuichi jumped at such a question - with his face flushing, and eyes growing wide, the shorter boy began waving his arms around.

"Wha—tha-that isn’t it, it’s just----!" He replied in a panicked disbelief, "We’re just the Papas, so we aren’t pretending to be married!" He then parted his lips in realisation, "Ah, n-not that there's anything wrong with _you,_ Kamitani, it's just---"

"The girls've gone out today, mentioning something about a sleepover." Usaida interrupted with a mumble, "So they wouldn't have been able to." He added on, before readjusting his napping position. 

"Oh, I see...” Ryuuichi replied, “I guess it wouldn't have been right to trouble them during their free time, either.” He added on.

"You wanted to play the role of the old man with one of them, or something?" Hayato asked.

"Eh—no! O-Of course not! That’s---”

Ryuuichi quickly cut himself off after a moment, pausing to study Hayato and his facial expression.

 _'Wait, is this Kamitani's way of joking…?'_ He asked himself in thought, unable to help himself from squinting his eyes suspiciously.

It was hard to tell, given the fact that Hayato's facial expression remained the same 99% of the time, as blank as ever. Although there was now a slight crease, when it came to the space between his eyebrows.

“ _ **Ryuuichi.**_ ”

_There it was again._

_Hayato was saying his first name so calmly, and his voice was so low…so **smooth.**_

It made Ryuuichi gulp, and quickly turn his head to look away.

“Y-yeah? What’s wrong?” He forced out of his throat in question, wincing internally for stuttering.

“I’m getting a drink from the vending machine,” Hayato informed as he stood up, “Is there anything you want?” He asked.

“Ah, wait, in that case, I’ll come with you, too!” Ryuuichi urged, promptly standing up and dusting himself off, “The kids wanted some juice, so...” He added on, turning his head back around to look at Hayato with a smile.

Hayato simply nodded in response – he then looked down at Usaida with a glare, kicking him lightly.

“ _Oi, wake up_ – we’re going to get drinks, so keep an eye on the brats.”

Usaida snapped out of his sleep after choking on a snore, blinking his eyes open slowly.

“Oh…” He mumbled out, sitting up and rubbing the sleep out of his eye, “Thanks - then, I’ll take some tea---“

“ ** _Let’s go, Ryuuichi._** ”

“ _…Eh?_ ”

* * *

As the two babysitters stood in front of the vending machine, Ryuuichi attempted to suppress a sneeze, but it was a futile effort.

The air was beginning to get chilly, and all that seemed to be on the teenage boy’s mind was buying new winter clothing for Kotarou, since the toddler was beginning to get too big for his old ones. Especially his coat – he looked like a stuffed marshmallow that was about to explode.

“You alright?” Hayato asked the shorter boy, head turned to look over at him, “Here, have some of Usaida’s tea.” He offered, holding out the canned drink towards him.

“Don’t worry, I’m fine!” Ryuuichi responded with a laugh, sniffling, “I’ll hold it for you, though.” He added on, taking the drink from the taller’s hands.

As their fingers brushed against each other, Hayato couldn’t help but furrow his eyebrows at just how cold Ryuuichi was.

“…You don’t sound fine.” The black-haired boy pointed out.

“It’s nothing compared to the outdoor P.E that the teachers make us do in our shorts.” Ryuuichi reasoned in reply with yet another laugh, “I’m okay, really.”

Hayato paused for a few seconds, before nodding his head, and turning back around to face the vending machine.

“I guess you’re right.”

A while had passed, and all that could be heard was the whirring of the vending machine, the spare change Hayato had placed in it, and the dropping of the canned drinks. Ryuuichi awkwardly stood around, fiddling with the can of green tea, and staring down at his feet.

“You know, there’s something on my mind, lately.” Hayato began, and Ryuuichi brought his fidgeting to a complete halt, growing bug-eyed.

“Eh? W--…really?” He asked, attempting to swallow down just how surprised he was by the sentence, as he looked over at the side of Hayato’s face.

The black-haired boy hadn’t torn his eyes away from the vending machine, and seemed to be drilling his gaze into it, clearly focused on something.

 _‘Is it something to do with Hebihara-sensei?’_ Ryuuichi couldn’t help but think to himself worriedly.

“If I have something to get off my chest, it’s better to talk to someone about it, right?” Hayato asked back, with a hint of caution in his tone.

_Or was it uncertainty?_

“Of—of course! So…what’s wrong, exactly?”

Hayato didn’t reply to the question for quite some time, which put Ryuuichi on even more edge than he already was. The awkward silence persisted between the two, and all of a sudden, Ryuuichi’s heart began to beat more and more.

_Out of fear, or anticipation, he didn’t know._

“For a while… _no, actually,_ since I met you…” Hayato began, “I’ve just been thinking. About how weird you are.”

Ryuuichi felt his face heat up, and let out a scoff of disbelief.

“ _W-well sorry for being weird!_ ” He replied.

“I didn’t say it was a bad thing.” Hayato reasoned, “No, more like…it was weird to me – how much you cared for your little brother.”

The brown-haired babysitter couldn’t help but cock an eyebrow, folding his arms.

“Well, we’re family – of course I’m going to care?” He responded in confusion.

“Guess so.” Hayato said with a shrug, pausing for another moment, “I dunno. I mean, for some reason, since then, I can’t stop thinking about you.”

Ryuuichi parted his lips.

“ _What…?_ ”

“ _Every day._ ” Hayato enunciated, scratching the back of his head.

It was at this moment that Ryuuichi noticed the taller boy turn his head over to look at him. Hayato’s amber eyes piercingly shot through the brown-haired boy, emphasised by the creases and lines around them. His eyebrows were furrowed, too, with a faint hint of a blush in his cheeks.

“Uh--- _wow_ …‘every day’...?” Ryuuichi asked with a stammer, unable to help an awkwardly weak laugh, “I---Thank you, Kamitani.” He said, scratching his cheek with a finger.

_Come to think of it, his own cheeks had warmed up significantly so._

“It’s nothing to thank me for.” Hayato muttered, looking away momentarily, “But having you on my mind every day…it’s almost like I’m trying to tell _myself_ something. Still, I have no idea what.”

“I…I have the exact same thing with Kotarou.” Ryuuichi replied, “Where I think about him every day, I mean. And the rest of the kids.”

“…I guess…That’s love, then.” Hayato stated, unable to tear his eyes away from Ryuuichi, “But mine is…probably a _different_ kind.” He stated.

“ _What…?_ ”

“Ryuuichi… _I think that I’m in love with you_... ** _romantically._** ” Hayato confessed.

Ryuuichi felt his entire being freeze, even though his heart must have been beating faster than what was normal. He could feel his eyes spiralling from dizzyness as he dropped the can of green tea, and his cheeks burning as much as a kitchen stove.

“ _H-hold on, I---_ “

“Yeah, I think it clicked.” Hayato confirmed with a nod, letting out a huff – his frown of embarassment hadn’t ceased, as he looked to the side, “I guess that’s what it was all along. I’m in love. And it’s with you.” He repeated, ruffling his own hair up.

“ _Wh--a-are you **bashful** or **teasing** me!?_ _I can’t tell…”_ Ryuuichi replied, squeezing his eyes shut. He could feel his entire body trembling.

**_Was it from happiness?_ **

“ _I’m in love with you, Ryuuichi._ ” Hayato repeated, with much more resolve in his tone of voice.

Ryuuichi opened his eyes to see that Hayato was now staring back at him with a frown, shoulders tensed up, and face red.

“I guess this is the part where I ask how you feel, and ask you out.” Hayato stated, “So?”

“ _I—I don’t know!_ My chances of dating always felt so remote, so--uh, that is..."

"You haven't really given it any thought, right?” Hayato interrupted in question, “You were saying the same thing with that girl and the love letter.” He reminded.

“Oh…yeah. I-I’m surprised you remembered.”

“I guess I remember most things, when it comes to you.” Hayato muttered, glancing to the side bashfully.

Ryuuichi covered his face with both of his hands, groaning in embarrassment – he couldn’t take this suddenly romantic atmosphere, and how blunt Hayato was being. 

“You turned her down, despite being so happy about her confession.” Hayato continued on, “I asked if you were sure, and you said your brother had to be your first priority."

"That...I still stand by that.” Ryuuichi mumbled, removing his hands from his face with slightly furrowed eyebrows, “Kotarou really is my priority.” He added on, looking down at the floor.

“Yeah. I know.” Hayato replied with a nod, taking a step towards the shorter boy.

Ryuuichi jumped after feeling Hayato take his own hand in his, and quickly raised his head. The two stood there in silence for a few moments, simply staring at each other, and holding hands.

 _‘Is this a staring contest, or something…?’_ Ryuuichi thought to himself, before looking to the side.

“ _But, I mean...with you, it's... **different.**_ ” The brown-haired boy began, “We've spent so many months together while I'm taking care of, not just Kotarou, but Taka-kun, and the rest of the kids at the same time, and..."

Ryuuichi trailed off, attempting to find the words.

"And being told that you like me feels pretty nice...no, I mean--- ** _Extremely nice!_** ” He continued on, turning his head back to look up at the taller, and squeezing his hand, “I-I didn't... _not_ like it!" He stuttered out, “ _So, I, too…I think…maybe…yeah, uh---uhm, that is…About you, Kamitani---I…_ ”

All of a sudden, Ryuuichi felt his body heat up, as his heart continued on beating like a jackhammer. He couldn’t help but quickly slip his hand out of Hayato’s grip, causing the baseball player to part his lips, and stare at the shorter in surprise. Hayato then closed his eyes momentarily with a smile.

“Yeah. I’m glad.” He replied, “So… _you like me, like I like you. **That’s a relief.**_ ”

More silence passed, and now, the breeze could be heard.

"Truthfully, I’m… _really happy_ you told me.” Ryuuichi mumbled with a small laugh, taking a soft hold of the hem of Hayato’s baseball uniform shirt, “I’ve never seen you this bashful, before.”

“ _Shut it._ ” Hayato replied, frowning and looking away once again, “It’s because you’re so---…”

Ryuuichi blinked at the black-haired boy curiously, tilting his head to the side. Hayato could only steal a glance at the shorter, before sighing out.

“Never mind.” He finished off, “That aside, we’re…dating now, right?” He asked, making Ryuuichi gulp nervously.

“I mean…our dates will be taking care of Taka-kun and Kotarou, so...is that... _okay?_ " The brown-haired babysitter asked cautiously.

"It's no different from the usual." Hayato replied with a shrug, "As long as I'm with you, I don't mind."

Ryuuichi let out a sigh of relief, before beaming.

" ** _M-Me too!_ **Kotarou and I like you and Taka-kun a lot!" He exclaimed as earnestly as he could – it was the truth, after all, and he wanted Hayato to know it, without a shred of doubt in his mind.

"…Taka likes you two a lot as well." Hayato returned, smiling slightly, "It's the same for me."

"Huh?"

"I also really like you and the brats." He added on after a while, taking Ryuuichi's hand in his once again, “You’re…pretty important to me.”

Ryuuichi’s heart fluttered.

Hayato was quite the romantic, when he wanted to be.

* * *

“Oh, yeah. D’you want me to stop calling you Ryuuichi?" Hayato asked, “Personally, I don’t really care. Since we’re dating now, and it makes more sense.”

In response, Ryuuichi could only blush profusely. Hayato then sighed and scratched the back of his head.

"I'll take that as a 'yes', then. It's fine, we're in no rush."

There was an awkward pause between the two, as they sat on the bench by the vending machine. They were holding hands for the third time, and Ryuuichi guessed that Hayato needed a moment for all of this to sink in. As the taller looked up at the sky, the brown-haired babysitter knew that he needed it, too.

" _Kashima._ " Hayato began.

"Hm?" Ryuuichi hummed in question.

" _ **Kiss me.**_ "

Ryuuichi choked on his own spit at the sudden demand.

" _ **W---whu---what?!**_ " He spluttered out, wondering if it was possible to die from blushing so much in such a short span of time.

" _A good luck kiss._ " Hayato explained, pointing repeatedly at his lips, "So I can make it to Koshien." He added on.

"You _just_ said we're in no rush--" 

Ryuuichi then interrupted himself. He blinked repeatedly, seeing that determined face Hayato always showed when playing baseball on the mound.

With a smile, Ryuuichi then shut his eyes for a moment, sighing out as he leaned his head on Hayato’s shoulder.

"You really _are_ incredible, Kamitani. **_I love you._** ” He stated.

Hayato grew wide-eyed at the sudden words coming from the shorter boy.

Before the two knew it, they had turned their heads to look at the other. As Ryuuichi looked up at Hayato, he knew that they had been pulled in by the mood and atmosphere. Hayato could see that Ryuuichi’s eyes had become hooded and wanting, just like his own, cheeks now a deeply flushed red.

They leaned their faces closer towards each other, and Ryuuichi felt infinitely warmer just from the sensation of Hayato’s breath against his skin. The taller boy smelt like mint and cologne, and Ryuuichi couldn’t help but relax his body completely, subconsciously licking his lips. Just before they could connect their lips, Ryuuichi tilted his head slightly for a better angle, whilst Hayato tilted his own head in the opposite direction.

It was a sweet and sensual kiss – but relatively sloppy, and pretty much ended as soon as it began. Yet the moment lasted for what seemed like forever to Ryuuichi, who felt Hayato laugh into his mouth, just before pulling away. Ryuuichi suddenly felt extremely warm – warmer than usual – and couldn’t help but cover his mouth.

" _You suck at kissing._ "

" _W-well **sorry** about that!_ I've only ever kissed Kotarou on the head!"

"You're totally attached to him. _Way_ too clingy."

" _…By any chance…are you… **jealous,** Kamitani?_"

" _...Is that really so bad?_ "

"No. If anything, it's _cute_."

" _…Shut up, Kashima._ "


End file.
